Of Claws and Paws
by Mighty Lion
Summary: Harmony O'Hare, a Ravenclaw, starts 5th year classes early, and is now Captain/Chaser for the House Quidditch team. What will happen when she befriends Oliver Wood? Will their love for the game get in the way of their budding relationship?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first ever HP fic so bear with me. Also, I really don't know how long this will be. I've got nothing set in stone for this, I just opened up a new document and started writing. Honestly, I don't know what I'm getting myself into, I've already got another story to handle along with real life. Anyways, enjoy!**

**Chapter 1: Letter from Dumbledore**

I looked up from my reading to the sound of tapping on my window. I groaned and walked over to see an owl with a letter attached to its leg. After opening the window, I walked over to my bed where the owl had landed. The barn owl stuck his leg out and I unrolled the parchment.

_'To Miss Harmony O'Hare_

_I wish to congratulate you on outstanding scores in all your classes' exams. For this reason, I have decided to enroll you, with your consent and permission from your parents, in 5th year classes at the start of term on September the 1st. You will, of course know that this means you will be taking your O.W.L.s earlier than usual. I have no doubt that you will succeed in this, as I have the utmost confidence in your skills an abilities. _

_Please return this owl with an answer before term starts, _

_Albus Dumbledore_

_P.S. Congratulations on becoming the new Captain of Ravenclaw House's Quidditch team. Again, I have confidence in your abilities.' _

I grinned as I wrote each sentence, then ran downstairs screaming, "Mummy! Dad! I got a letter from Dumbledore! Read this!" I went down into the living room, but it was empty. Scrambling into the kitchen, I found Mum making sandwiches for lunch. "Mum! You have to read this!" I yelled at her.

My mum, better known as Melody O'Hare, turned to me and asked, "Why would we be getting letters now? Term isn't starting for another three weeks."

I shook my head and replied, "This is a personal letter, from Dumbledore himself." Mum read the letter slowly, seeming to take in ever words before grinning and scooping me up into a hug.

She called out the kitchen window, "Robert! Come here quickly! You have to see this!"

A few moments later, Dad came in through the back door, asking, "What's going on? Has something happened?"

"No, sweetheart. Harmony got a letter from Dumbledore, read it."

Dad quickly scanned the letter before turning to me and asking, "Are you sure you want to do this? It doesn't say whether you'd be skipping 4th year entirely, or taking both 5th and 4th year courses.. Oh! You've been made Quidditch Captain! That means you'll be one of the youngest Captains at the school, yes?"

I nodded and grinned. "It also means I won't be a reserve Chaser anymore, with Jeremy gone. Do you think I'll be able to it though? Taking on 5th year classes and being Captain?"

Mum asked, "Why don't you go talk to Corin about that? For now, just tell Dumbledore that we give our permission for you to take higher level classes. Also, be sure to ask him about whether or not you'll also take 4th year classes."

"Are you serious?" I tried holding in my excitement, but was failing horribly at it.

"If you feel you're up to it, and really want to do this, then we don't see why we should stop you, sweetie." Dad smiled while Mum nodded her head in agreement.

Dad added, "Besides, I know someone who will be very happy to know you've been made Captain." He grinned and said, "Grandad O'Hare will be so happy, I wouldn't doubt if he spent all of Christmas dinner reminiscing about his days with the Kestrels."

I hugged each of them, then ran upstairs to Corin's room. Of course, his door was closed so I had to bang on it until he opened it. Finally, my older brother yanked back the door and said in an irritated voice, "I was taking a nap. What is it, Harmony?"

"Corin, you're not gonna believe this! I got a letter from Dumbledore saying that if I want to, I can take 5th year classes this year!"

He narrowed his eyes and asked, "Instead of 4th year classes? Will you be taking your O.W.L.s earlier too?"

I showed him the letter that held proof. Corin read it over, then gaped at me before yelling, "I can't believe it! You're the new captain of Ravenclaw House?"

"Yeah..Jeremy's not at Hogwarts anymore, remember? The year before was his last and I guess he chose me as Captain! So that means I won't just be a reserve Chaser anymore!"

Corin raised his eyebrows and punched me in the shoulder. "Good job, kiddo. I knew you could do it. Just wait till I tell Wood about this, he won't believe it!"

Giving him a quizzical look, I tried to remember that name. _'Wood..it sounds familiar.'_

"Harm, he's in Gryffindor with me. I don't think you've met him before, or even seen him around Hogwarts."

"Still have no clue who you're talking about. But do me a favor? Please don't tell anybody that I'm the new Captain of Ravenclaw. I don't want any trouble before we even go back."

Corin just shrugged and nodded before going back into his room. I walked into my own room and saw the owl was still there, waiting for me. Looking around my desk and trunk, I found a spare piece of parchment, with a quill and ink. I hastily wrote,

'_Dear Professor Dumbledore,_

_I thank you for this spectacular offer, and I have chosen to accept it. I was wondering, however, if I would also be taking 4th year classes, along with the 5th year ones I'll be taking regularly?_

_Wishing you a great summer holiday,_

_Harmony O'Hare'_

I sent the owl off after tying the scroll to his leg, then walked over to my full length mirror that hung on my closet door. I stared at my reflection, taking in my short stature and long black hair. Quidditch players with bodies and builds like mine usually made better Seekers, but I had proven to be a great Chaser, as I had been able to speed in and out of others' ways during the small handful of games I had filled in for last year. I just hoped I would be good enough to face this coming school term.

**A/N: Any reviews at all are welcome. Next chapter I'm going to describe Harmony's looks more thoroughly, along with her brother's. Again, any reviews are welcome with open arms!**


	2. Arrival

**rA/N: Thank you for reading and reviewing this, it means a lot to me! Now, on with the story! Oh, I own nothing from Harry Potter. **

**Chapter 2: Arrival**

We had gotten our supply lists two days ago, and were now on our way to Diagon Alley to get our things. My own list required I get 5th year books, and it had come with a separate note from Dumbledore, telling me that I would only be taking 5th year classes, but I was welcome to study what I would be missing if I wanted. I finished reading all of Corin's books from his 4th year the week before we got our letters; I never bought new texts, I just used Corin's old ones.

Corin was going into his last year at Hogwarts, and it made me feel a but sad, knowing this would be the last time I spent with him at Hogwarts, and for a while. He was going off to live with Grandad O'Hare, to train and hopefully get a spot on a professional Quidditch team. I was glad for my brother and knew he would be in good hands. After all, being the grandchildren of the famous Darren O'Hare had its perks. Not that we were allowed to use them, Dad hadn't even been able to when he was growing up. Grandad had raised him- and through Dad, us too- to be as normal as witches and wizards can be.

We got into Diagon Alley through The Leaky Cauldron, and had split up to get our things. I had already started reading Corin's 5th year texts, so I was just going to take them with me instead of buying brand new ones. I still needed ingredients for Potions class, and my robes needed to be hemmed a bit. While Dad and Corin went to get his things, Mum and I stopped by the Magical Menagerie so I could buy more treats for my Great Horned Owl, Jasper. We were walking past Quality Quidditch Supplies, which had a huge crowd in and outside of it. I stopped and tried to get a look at what the fuss was about, when I ran into one of my best friends, Aravis Bower. She was in Ravenclaw with me; shorter than me and has short, straight brown hair with green eyes. "Arav!" I yelled over the noise, "What's all this fuss about?"

She fought her way out of the crowd and came up to me, looking excited and speechless. "It's the newest Nimbus model!" she gasped, "The Nimbus 2000!"

"What's it look like?" I questioned

"It's beautiful, polished to perfection. It's supposed to be the fastest broom in the world right now, even Americans are putting in orders for it! My cousin Stacy, she goes to Salem Witches Institute, said that the Sweetwater All-Stars put in orders for the whole team!"

"That must be a good broom! Imagine how good our Quidditch team would be this year with just one of them! Bgut I think I'll stick with my '98 for now until I save up. You find out how much it costs?"

Aravis shook her head. "I don't think I want to, I already know it'll be hideously expensive."

I nodded in agreement and asked if she'd like to come along with Mum and I on our shopping. Aravis ran back into the crowd to ask her parents, then came along with us to the ice cream parlor for a quick treat. Corin and Dad came over just as we were finishing our chocolate ice creams. I nudged Aravis with my elbow and grinned, and she elbowed me back with an embarrassed smile.

"Come off it, Arav." I whispered so no one could hear me, "Corin's not that great of a guy, you've got no reason to fancy him. Trust me, I live with him. He's cranky in the morning and has a bad temper nearly all of the time."

"Oh shut it, you're only saying that because-"

"It's true?" I interrupted with a grin. She huffed but couldn't suppress a smile at my comment.

Corin sat down across from us, and I could practically the nerves radiating off of her. I glanced at her, then sent an amused look to my brother. Our only similar features were our black wavy hair and same olive-toned skin. While my eyes were a light hazel-almost yellow-his eyes were grey.

Aravis casually asked, "You excited to start your last year at Hogwarts, Corin?"

He shrugged and said, "Sort of, but at the same time I'm sad. It's very bittersweet. Oi," he rounded on me, "Did you tell Arav what's going on this year for you?"

While Aravis blushed at the fact that my brother had used _my_ pet name for her, I scowled at him in annoyance. I sighed and glared at him one more time before turning to my best friend, "I wasn't planning on telling you until we were on our way to Hogwarts, but I guess I'll tell you now that the big blabbermouth over here brought it up."

At Aravis's motion for me to continue, I explained, "Dumbledore sent me a letter about two weeks ago, saying that instead of taking 4th year classes with you and everyone else, I'm going to be taking 5th year courses."

"But how will you be prepared for that if you're skipping over 4th year?" Aravis asked frantically. Sometimes I thought she loved studying more than I did.

"I already read the books for 4th year, and have started on 5th year books."

Mum came up to us with Mr. and Mrs. Bower in tow and said, "Harmony, we still need to get your robes hemmed, remember?"

I nodded to Mum and threw away my trash, while Aravis shyly bid Corin farewell, and then turned so we could hug goodbye. "Write me so we can figure out where to meet on the train with the others, ok?" I nodded and said, "I'll write and send Jasper as soon as I can. There's one more bit of news I haven't told you yet, but it'll have to wait."

**...September 1st...**

I was sitting with my friends in an empty compartment on the Hogwarts Express. We had loaded up with sweets from the trolley, and were talking about our summers. Haley, a tall blonde Slytherin, was telling us about her trip to visit family in Spain, when Amanda Frey poked her head into our compartment. "Hey guys," she greeted us, "Have a good summer?" as she sat down next to me. Amanda was in Hufflepuff, and one of the sweetest girls at Hogwarts. Not even the Slytherins made fun of her, partially because Haley would hex them into next week, but also because no one ever had anything bad to say about her. We all said our hellos to her and listened as Haley went on finishing her story.

After a while we all quieted down and started doing our own individual things to entertain ourselves. Haley and Amanda fell asleep, Amanda's red hair falling into her face. Edmund, a Gryffindor with blond hair and brown eyes, pulled out a book to read. Aravis took to writing in her journal and occasionally petting her cat, Gizmo. It began to grow dark and soon the lights in our compartments switched on. I stared out the window into the country side, watching as it diminished and the outlines ofmountains sprang from the black.

Once the train stopped in Hogsmeade, we got our things and made our way to where the carriages were. Edmund called us over when he found an empty carriage, and we claimed it as our own, then got in as it made its usual walk up the road to the castle. It wasn't too long before the magicked carriages dropped us in front of Hogwarts' great oak front doors. McGonagall was waiting for us, and she led us into the Great Hall before going back to bring in the first years. While Edmund, Haley, and Amanda went to their respective House tables, Aravis and I headed to the Ravenclaw table, right next to Gryffindor. I looked over and saw Corin talking to some friends, but he raised his head and caught my eye, giving me a wave and sending a huge smile to Aravis before turning back to his friends.

I turned to my best friend and asked, "What was that all about?" with a teasing voice.

"I honestly don't know. He's never really said much to me." Aravis said absentmindedly.

"Well of course, Corin's a seventh year, what would he want to do with fourth years? Not to mention he's my brother and isn't too keen on hanging out with me and my friends when he's got his own."

Aravis grinned, "No, one fourth year and an honorary fifth year." I rolled my eyes but returned the smile. I glanced down the table, hoping no one had heard Aravis's words. I knew that the mocking and snide comments would never end if word got out that I was taking different classes than my fellow fourth years, not even my fellow Ravenclaws would stay silent. Soon we grew restless with waiting, and it seemed that right as there was an uproar of kids complaining about hunger, McGonagall walked into the Great Hall, first years nearly tripping over themselves to keep up with her.

The strict witch placed the Sorting Hat on its stool, and it started singing about the Four Founders of Hogwarts, and each house's traits. Once the song was done, the sorting began.

**A/N: I hope you all like this chapter as much as you did the last. I promise in the next chapter the story will pick up and move along faster.**i


	3. Meeting in McGonagall's Class

**A/N: This is the third chapter, I hope you all enjoy!**

**Chapter 3: Meeting in McGonagall's Class**

I woke up and got dressed, then grabbed my bag before heading down to the Great Hall for breakfast. I met Haley and Edmund on the way down, and as usual on the first day, Aravis was running late. We all talked about how classes might be this year, seeing as we had a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Quirrel. Within the next week I had to hold try-outs for the Quidditch team, we needed a new Seeker and two new Beaters. Tom Hastings was going to be returning as Keeper. He was a tall, grim looking boy in his seventh year. I was going to be Chaser alongside Roger Davies and Gabrielle Siran. Roger was a cocky, but good player who was in his fifth year, and Gabrielle was in her sixth. All of us were seasoned players, hopefully our newest teammates would be able to match our years of playing with fast learning.

Amanda sat down by me as I pulled over a large platter of bacon towards me and began putting some on my own plate. "Have you gotten your timetable yet? I want to see what classes we have together."

"No, Flitwick hasn't given them out yet." I answered before taking a bite out of my bacon. She looked down and then grinned before snatching a piece of my food and running off towards the Hufflepuff table. I was pouring myself some orange juice when Professor Flitwick handed me my timetable. "Here you are, miss O'Hare. I hope you enjoy your classes this year. If you need any extra help, don't hesitate to ask me." He said with a smile.

"Professor, do you know..?" I asked quietly.

The small man smiled and said, "Of course I know! I am your Head of House after all. Dumbledore asked me if I thought you were up to this, and I said yes. I know you can do this."

I grinned and thanked him, and then he went to hand out other timetables to students. I looked down and scanned it, seeing that first hour on Mondays, I had Transfiguration with the Gryffindors. Aravis had just sat down next to me and was reaching over for a piece of toast from the huge stack when I said, "Arav, I dunno what I'm gonna do!"

She gave me a confused look. "What are you talking about?"

"I mean, I'm taking all my classes with fifth years! I don't know any fifth years. I won't know anyone in my classes."

"Relax, Harmony. You'll be fine. Just focus on what's actually going on in class and you'll be alright."

I scoffed and said, "That's all fine and dandy for you, you don't talk to anyone in class. Not even me or the others."

Aravis just shrugged and began to eat while looking over her schedule. She peeked over at mine and said, "All your classes are ahead of mine. I've got Transfiguration after you do."

I poked at the rest of my food and sipped my juice until it was time to go to class. I walked Aravis and Amanda halfway to Care of Magical Creatures before dashing back up the grounds and into the castle. I muttered, "Great, this is just what I needed on the first day." as I ran up the steps to McGonagall's class. A few seconds later I opened the door to her class and quietly walked in. Professor McGonagall paused in the middle of taking roll and asked, "Miss O'Hare, what are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here for another hour, with the rest of the fourth years."

I walked up to her, not wanting to say it out loud in front of the other students. "Er, Professor McGonagall, I've got permission from Professors Dumbledore and Flitwick to take fifth year classes this year, since I've done so well on my exams."

She pursed her lips together and said, "Very well, please take a seat." Before I turned around, she seemed to smile a bit, or as close to one as she could get. I walked to the back of the room and sat at an empty desk. While McGonagall was finishing taking roll, I heard a _thump_ and looked up to see a boy had dropped his books on the table, and was sitting down next to me. He looked like he was tall, he had thick shoulders and a thick body, but in a muscled sort of way. The boy looked at me and smile with warm brown eyes and said, "Hello. My name's Oliver Wood." His thick Scottish brogue had a soft and musical lilt to it, and he seemed to be very open and kind. I looked at his robes and saw he had the Gryffindor lion on his chest.

"My name's Harmony O'Hare." I said quietly. I watched as his eyes widened and he said in a hushed voice, "You're related to Darren O'Hare? I mean, _the_ Darren O'Hare?"

I smiled in amusement and said, "Well to me and my brother Corin, he's known as Grandad O'Hare. But yeah, I am."

We stayed silent for a moment, listening while McGonagall lectured us about using Transfiguration in a practical way. Once we were put to practice, Oliver spoke to me again.

"You're Corin's little sister aren't you?" He asked as we practiced turning ferrets into turtles.

I nodded while saying the spell and pointing at my animal. "I'm not _little_. I'm a fourth year. You two know each other?"

"Yeah, I've known him since my first year. He's a nice bloke, I'll be sad to see him leave. If you're a fourth year, why are you here?"

I ignored his question and said, "Try living with Corin, you wouldn't be sad to see him go then."

Oliver laughed under his breath and turned to practice on his ferret. I turned to him and asked, "How come you're surprised I'm related to Grandad? Knowing Corin, he would've bragged about it."

"He actually never mentioned it." Oliver shrugged.

We didn't say anything as McGonagall walked by to look over our progress, then waited until she moved on to another pair of students.

"I take it you like Quidditch then?"

Oliver mock gasped and said, "Of course I do! Quidditch is my life! I'm hoping to win the Quidditch Cup this year for Gryffindor, we've missed too many chances. I know this year we're going to win it. It's my goal to win the cup as captain at least _once_ before I'm out of here. Then when I leave Hogwarts, I want to get picked up by a professional team."

I nodded, but didn't say anything. _'He's the captain for Gryffindor?'_

Too nervous to reply, I smiled softly, but said anything to Oliver the rest of the lesson. Once class was over, I packed up my things and left. Oliver caught up to me and said, "Corin told me, you know."

I glanced at him and asked, "What did he tell you?" I waited with held breath.

"That you're a fourth year taking fifth year classes. It's nothing to be ashamed of you know. If I were you, I'd be proud of that. But that's how most of us Gryffindors are." He finished with a grin.

Trying not to look too relieved, my sense of fear quickly turned to anger. "I told that brother of mine not to tell anyone about this."

Oliver shrugged and said, "It doesn't matter to me. What other classes do you have with Gryffindor?"

I pulled my schedule out of my bag and looked it over. "I've got Charms on Wednesday and Potions on Friday with your house."

Oliver grinned and said, "See you there, then." before going down the hallway to another room. I kept walking to Ancient Runes silently, not thinking of anything in particular.

**...**

I sat down at the Ravenclaw table with a sigh of relief when it was time for dinner. Edmund came over and sat down across from me and smiled. "How was your day?"

"It wasn't too bad, actually. How were your classes? Are you liking Muggle Studies?"

Edmund nodded and said, "Yeah, it's an alright class. Professor Vector isn't the nice type, though. She's real strict, I hope she isn't like that all the time."

I nodded in sympathy, and we gathered food onto our plates and began to eat in silence. The first day was always like this for us, a quiet, calm day with not much talking. Along with the required classes, I was taking Ancient Runes and Astronomy. I had taken Divination, but didn't like it at all, that was the one class I didn't do well in. I wasn't horrible at it, I was just average so I'd decided to drop it. Aravis and Amanda joined us soon, followed by Haley and her boyfriend William. After I finished eating, I stood up and told the others, "I've got to go talk to Madam Hooch about booking a day for Quidditch try outs for Ravenclaw. I'll see you all tomorrow."

I went up the grand staircase and down the hall to Madam Hooch's office. Soon I heard footsteps behind me, and saw Oliver Wood just reaching the last few steps before starting down the hall. I willed my legs to go faster, hoping he wouldn't see me.

"Hey! O'Hare!" Too late. I stopped and turned around to see Oliver coming to a stop right in front of me. Looking up at him, I realized how tall he actually was. He was taller than I had originally thought.

I said as casually as I could, "Hey Wood, what are you doing here?"

Oliver started walking, and I fell into step with him. After a few moments of walking silently, I asked, "Are you going to answer my question?"

"I'm on my way to see Madam Hooch about booking the Quidditch pitch for try outs."

Before I could stop myself, I asked, "You too?"

Oliver gave me a questioning look. "Er," I scrambled for an answer, "I'm hoping to try out for the open Chaser position."

At this, Oliver stopped and looked at me, a thoughtful look on his face. "You look like you'd make a better Seeker."

"Well, looks can be deceiving, you know." I smiled.

"Ah, truer words have never been spoken." Oliver stopped and knocked on the door to Madam Hooch's office. At her call to come in, he opened the door and gestured, saying, "Ladies first. Oh, and Harmony, if you do make the team, don't think I'm going to go easy on you just because you're new." Oliver winked at me and grinned, then ushered me inside the office.

I heard the door close behind me and turned to see Madam Hooch writing at her desk. With a glance around the room, I saw she had posters of professional Quidditch teams and clippings from the Daily Prophet of articles on matches between teams. She finished writing, then looked at me with a smile.

"Ah, Harmony. Congratulations again on your captaincy. I assume you're here to book the Quidditch pitch to hold try outs?"

"Yes, ma'am, I am."

Madam Hooch pulled a fresh piece of parchment from her desk and wrote before looking up at me. "What day do you have in mind?"

"Um, I suppose Saturday afternoon would work best."

Hooch nodded and wrote on the scrap. "What positions do you need to be filled?"

"Well Gabrielle, Tom, Roger, and I are staying on from least year. We need a new Seeker and two new Beaters, though."

"Alright," Madam Hooch wrote more, "I've got everything. You will go to the pitch at 5 o'clock on Saturday, an hour or so after lunch. You can have as much time as you need to pick new players. I must say, I'm a bit surprised you've come to see me the first day. The other captains probably won't be here until later on in the week, not even Wood comes to see me this early! And all he ever thinks about is Quidditch!"

I blushed and chuckled along with her, then thanked her and left. I saw Wood sitting with his back to the wall a few feet away. I walked over to him and sat down. He turned to me and smiled, saying, "Hey, how'd it go?"

"I can try out on Saturday afternoon. Apparently there's an open spot for both Seeker and Chaser. So if I don't make one, I can try out for the other position!"

Oliver smiled and clapped me on the shoulder, making me let out a _oof_ sound as his heavy hand landed. "That's great! I'd rather you make Chaser though, I think you may make a good one."

I smiled at him, then nodded towards the door and said, "You're up next, Wood. And thanks."

"No problem, O'Hare."

I turned before he walked into Madam's office and asked, "Want me to wait for you, then?"

"Nah, it's alright, I'll see you in class. Goodnight!"

"G'night, Oliver!" I said back before he disappeared. I sighed and stood up, making my way towards Ravenclaw Tower. It didn't feel good lying to Oliver, but I didn't want to tell him either, he seemed like a nice person and I couldn't randomly tell him I was a rival Quidditch captain.

Before going to bed, I told Aravis everything that had happened today, and asked her if I should tell Oliver. She shrugged and said, "Just tell him, it's not that big a deal."

I gave her a _you're-joking-right?_ look and said, "Aravis, Wood is madly in love with Quidditch. He told me so himself, it's his life. If he's this obsessed with it and the season hasn't even started, imagine what he'll be like when he finds out I'm captain of Ravenclaw. He'd be furious!"

Aravis sighed, "First of all, why do you care so much? You only met him today. Besides, if he really is as obsessed as you say he is, he'll probably show up to your try outs anyway, to see the new competition."

**A/N: Deciding to end it here. Next chapter will be the try outs! Please review!**


	4. Trying Out and Finding Out

**A/N: Thank you all so much for the reviews! And thank you to those who added this to their Story Alerts! I'm already thinking of more ideas for this story, and if you couldn't already tell, this story follows Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone. So if you didn't already know, now you do! Cheers!**

**Chapter 4: Trying Out and Finding Out**

The first week of school went by fairly well, I managed to lay low and not attract any attention to myself. The next week was a warm Friday afternoon, and I was sitting under a tree near the lake with Edmund and Haley, doing homework. Well, they were helping each other while I was trying to figure out what to do for the try outs tomorrow afternoon. This would be my first official job as captain of the team. I was afraid that the others wouldn't be happy I was given this position, since I had only been on the reserve team and only filled in for a few games over the years. The others had full-time playing experience and all worked together really well, where I was the odd one out-at least until we got the final additions to our team.

The next morning I went to the library to get some homework done before getting ready to hold try outs. I sat at one of the tables nearest to the back, but not too close to the Restricted Section. With my books spread out on the table, I took notes, wrote in the margins, and did the three inches I needed done for Transfiguration, and the two rolls of parchment for Potions. When I worked, my mind went blank, and nothing distracted me from unless someone grabbed me or yelled in my ear. Haley had to do this when it was lunch time, reminding me that I had to eat since I skipped breakfast, and also had to put all my stuff away. I thanked her and we walked to Ravenclaw Tower together. I answered the riddle that allowed us inside, and we ran up to my dorm so I could throw my bag onto my bed and fetch my Nimbus '98 before going down to eat.

I didn't eat much, too nervous at the fact that I would be in charge of something today. I'd never been one for leadership, but I supposed that as a Ravenclaw, I would figure something out eventually. The five of us-including William, holding onto Haley like a puppy-walked out of the castle and onto the grounds. Everyone left to go sit in the stands while I walked onto the field. There were already some students there, hanging about and talking. I saw some second years who looked nervous, and some third years who looked like thy were going to be sick. We always preferred to take second and third years on, so as the years went by, they were practically bred to be able to adapt to any situation. There was always at least one or two seventh years on the team no matter what, but last year had been the most we've ever had leave. Jeremy, the Chaser who's place I was taking, left along with David and Mark, the beaters. We also lost Gracie Willson as Seeker, but that was because she'd decided to pursue a career as a Healer instead of professional Quidditch, so she had quit the team to focus on school.

**...**

Surprisingly, the others had taken the news that I was captain fairly well. They congratulated me and said they'd work hard to make the team proud. We all changed into our Quidditch robes and went to meet the potential additions to the team.

Gabrielle, Roger, and Tom stood off to the side to watch while I stepped in front of the whole group.

I looked up into the stands and saw my friends sitting near the railing. I waved at them, then made to turn to the group. A lone figure leaning against the railing caught my eye, but I ignored it.

"Hello everyone! I'm Harmony O'Hare and I'm the captain of this team. We only need two Beaters and a Seeker this year, so everyone else who isn't trying out for those positions can clear off, alright? Maybe next year a position will open up. Now, the way we're going to do this is quite simple. The ones trying out for Beater will be put into pairs and you'll have to try to keep us Chasers from scoring, got it? But first, you're all going to run three laps around the pitch, and after that, you'll do some exercises. GO!" The crowd of kids went off running, keeping close to the wall.

While they were running, I went up to Tom and asked, "Do you think this is a good idea?"

"Are you kidding? None of use would have thought of this ourselves. Are we gonna be doing this at regular practices?"

I was about to reply, when I heard a yell. Looking over at the crowd of runners, I saw that a girl who'd been in the lead had tripped and fell, and more were falling over her. I ran across to them, screaming, "Stop! Stop running, you're all gonna hurt yourselves and someone else! STOP!" I reached the small pile of students who had fallen on top of each other. There were grunts and shouts of pain when someone stepped on a hand or elbowed a chin. Once everyone disentangled themselves, I squatted down to see the girl who'd fallen first.

"Are you ok?" I asked softly, helping her stand.

She grinned at me and said, "Yeah, I'm alright. My name's Cho Chang, I'm a second year."

I returned the smile, "Well Cho, you might wanna be more careful alright? Don't want something like this happening again." She nodded and I turned to everyone, telling them to continue their laps.

Once everyone was sorted, Tom and the others took off to their positions. I picked a pair of boys, then asked, "What're your names, boys?"

The tall one with brown hair and brown eyes said, "I'm Garrett Cadion, third year."

I nodded and looked to the other boy who was almost as tall and had black hair with blue eyes. "I'm Harold Summers, also a third year."

"Alright boys, you can kick off right now, and I'll release the Bludgers," I handed them the bats, "Don't starts swinging until I give you the signal. Oh, and don't hit us too hard if you can help it, please?"

Garrett and Harold grinned, then took off into the sky. I opened the trunk and undid the lock that released the Bludgers. I jumped back and watched them race into the air, zooming towards my team mates who had taken their positions, Gabrielle handling the Quaffle for the time being. I looked towards the others and said, "You're all going to be judged based on how well your aim is, and how well you work with other people trying out. For now, just sit back and watch until I tell you otherwise."

I was about to mount my broom and kick off, when a heavy hand landed on my shoulder. I turned around to see Oliver Wood. _'Ohh no...this isn't gonna be good.'_ I thought as he pulled me away from the group to the edge of the pitch.

Too scared to speak, I waited for him to open his mouth and say something. I looked up from the ground to peek at him, and saw he wore a mask of passiveness. Oliver sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Finally, Oliver asked, "Why did you lie?"

It was time to come clean. "I didn't want you to hate me just for being a captain."

Oliver studied me before saying, "I don't hate you for being a captain, O'Hare. I just don't know why you chose to hide it."

"I don't know..I've seen the way you are with Marcus Flint. You look like you're ready to decapitate him whenever you two cross paths. I guess I didn't want all that hate directed towards me, and I wasn't ready to be captain..I still don't think I am."

I heard Wood sigh, "The rivalry between Flint and I has been going on since the first day we met on the Hogwarts Express, O'Hare; our hatred towards each other isn't just about Quidditch. Look, I don't care that you're captain, alright? In all honesty, it's only going to make me push my team even harder, so we beat you. In reality, you're helping me."

"So you're not mad at me?" I looked up at him, nervous.

Oliver grinned and elbowed me lightly, "Nah, not anymore. We're still friends."

"Who said we're friends?"

His grin widened, "I do, and what I say, goes."

I rolled my eyes. "Hey, friends do favors for each other, right?"

Oliver nodded, looking at me suspiciously.

"Do me a favor Wood, and stop spying on my try outs. Unless you want me to go to yours?"

I smiled sweetly and waved as he pursed his lips and walked away. I re-mounted my broom and kicked off, feeling the wind push my hair and robes back. I grinned and flew faster to join Gabrielle and Roger, who were doing a good job at staying away from the Bludgers Garrett and Harold were trying to hit them with. I hovered in the air and observed with a grim smile that while Harold had strength, Garrett had far better aim. Deciding that I would talk with the others about this, I flew to catch the Quaffle Roger had tossed up. Gabrielle was right below me, and Roger just flew up and to my right. We flew on to where Tom was, tossing the Quaffle from one Chaser to another, and dodging Bludgers whenever needed.

With a grin, I realized that I fit in with Gabrielle and Roger, they were teaching me the tricks and formations they used to do with Jeremy. So far, I seemed to be getting things right.

After practicing with another 2 pairs of Beaters, I blew the whistle around my neck and called out, "Gabrielle, Tom, and Roger! C'mere!"

My three team mates flew towards me while the pair we had been working with, James and Candace, flew down to the ground. I looked at them and said, "We need to pick two of these to be on the team. Who did you guys like best?"

Gabrielle answered first, "I think that Garrett kid was really good, his aim was nearly perfect."

Tom piped up, "Harold had a ton of strength, but can't aim to save his life. Who knows if practice will help him improve. That girl Candance honestly had no business being here, it was horrible watching her miss the Bludger so many times."

I nodded and said, "What about Morgan? She was surprisingly strong. I didn't think she had it in her."

"Morgan was pretty good," Roger said with a thoughtful look on his face, "But how well do you think she'd work with Garrett?"

It was clear after having Garrett and Morgan work together that they would be phenomenal together. As we landed, I announced, "Ok everyone, I just want to thank you all for coming to try out. Now we're going to see who'll be our newest Seeker."

A number of kids stiffened or shifted around anxiously, I could tell they'd been waiting for this moment. "Alright you lot, I'm going to release the Snitch, and whoever catches it first will be our new Seeker, plain and simple. No pulling other people by the twigs of their brooms, no shoving or elbowing. I'll be following you all to make sure it doesn't happen, ok?"

The kids nodded and readied themselves. Cho sent me a bright smile and then mounted. I walked to the trunk and opened the small case the Snitch was in. It immeadietly flew up and around in circles. I waited a few seconds, then signaled to the group to go after it. They shot up like a flock of birds, and I went up after them. Some stayed in small groups while others flew around and around, trying to get a glimpse of the tiny golden ball. Suddenly someone started diving towards the ground, then everyone did the same. I flew over to see who was in the lead, and saw that it was Cho Chang.

Suddenly, she pulled out of her dive-very quickly, too- and shot straight back up into the air. A few of the kids who had been trailing her hadn't been able to stop as quickly and ended up crashing into the ground. I cringed as I saw one boy get up, holding a bleeding nose in his hands. Hearing a shout, I looked back down and saw that everyone was diving to the ground again. I flew over to make sure no one else got hurt, but found I was too late. Dropping towards the ground and hopping off my broom as it was still speeding towards everyone, I ran over to the group of students all huddled in a circle. Pushing my way through to the middle, I asked, "What's happened? Has anyone else been hurt?"

"No," breathed a small girl next to me, "She caught the Snitch."

I followed her gaze and saw Cho Chang curled up in a ball, with her hands tucked into her chest. Kneeling down, I spoke softly, "Are you alright?"

She groaned and opened her eyes to look at me. "I tried doing the Wronski Feint again, but it didn't work this time. Guess I misjudged how far from the ground I was." She slowly uncurled her hands and opened her left one, revealing the Snitch and a broken wrist that was steadily growing and turning red.

With a grin of disbelief, I helped her up for the second time that day and said, "Well you need to be more careful if you're ever going to keep out of the hospital wing. Otherwise you'll have to miss matches and we'd had to find a reserve Seeker."

Cho grinned and nearly fell over in excitement because she started jumping up and down. I chuckled and called everyone over to us. "Everyone, can I have your attention? Again, thank you for trying out, I really appreciate the fact that you're all passionate about this sport and love it. Let me now introduce the newest additions to the Ravenclaw House Quidditch team, Garrett Cadion and Harold Summers as our Beaters, and Cho Chang as our Seeker! I hope you'll all show your support at our matches!" Everyone clapped and congratulated Garrett, Harold, and Cho. Some kids grumbled in annoyance, but they quickly left the pitch. I looked over at Tom, Gabrielle, and Roger. They all seemed pleased with the newest additions, and that made me feel like I'd done something right. _'Maybe I can do this. Maybe Jeremy did make the right choice.'_

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who's read this. Reviewing would be nice, it's what keeps me writing, it's really all for you guys. :)**


	5. News Travels Fast

**A/N: Thanks for reviewing this story, it really motivates me to write more. I'm currently in the middle of finals week and will be spending most of my spare time studying so I'm sorry if I don't manage to update for a while. **

**Chapter 5: News Travels Fast**

Oliver sat down next to me in Charms the next week with a huge grin on his face. I looked up from getting my homework out of my bag and said hello. We were going to learn summoning charms today, and I was looking forward to it. "Good afternoon, miss." Oliver said, looking like he was going to explode with happiness.

I quirked an eyebrow at him and said, "Someone's in a really good mood today."

He didn't say anything, just kept grinning and got out his parchment, quill, and ink. I shook my head and got my things ready for the lesson.

We were going to practice summoning small objects to us first, then we'd be moving on to bigger things. While we were supposed to be practicing, Oliver kept zoning out until I had to get his attention so he could focus. I had done this for about the fifth time, so I asked him, "What's up with you today? You're acting happier than a child when they get their acceptance letter."

Oliver opened his mouth to respond, then closed it again. I made a motion for him to go on, and he said, "It has to do with Quidditch..but I can't tell you."

"If it's about the fact that you now have Harry Potter as your new Seeker, then you don't have to not tell me."

"How'd you know?" he whispered while glancing around the room suspiciously.

I shrugged and smirked, "Because I'm a Ravenclaw, and I'm captain. I have my ways."

Oliver glared half-heartedly at me. "You better not tell anyone."

"It's gonna get out sooner or later, you know. Nothing in this castle can be kept a secret for too long."

I heard him sigh in defeat. I frowned a bit, I didn't like being right when it was about something like this.

"You're right, I guess I knew it all along. But we can still keep it a secret for as long as possible."

I turned to him and nodded, feeling terrible for bringing him down from his good mood. Nudging him lightly, I said, "Hey, c'mon Wood. Cheer up, you've got Harry Potter on your team. You _just_ might be able to beat us in a match."

We continued to throw insults back and forth in a humorous way until class ended and I went off to Herbology with the Slytherins while he went to Defense Against the Dark Arts with Hufflepuff.

**...That Night...**

I had just managed to schedule the first Quidditch practice for the pre-season. We were gonna need all the training we could get so we could be on form when the actual season came around. I had just finished telling Gabrielle that we'd be having practice tomorrow night, and was going to tell Roger, when Harold came up to me with an anxious expression on his face.

"Hey, Harmony can I talk to you about something?"

With a grin, I said, "Sure, what's up?"

Harold looked down at his feet, then up at me with a guilty expression. "See..I kind of have a problem.."

"What sort of problem are we talking about here?"

Harold sighed, "The thing is..my parents didn't want me to try out for the Quidditch team. Now that I'm on the team, they said they'll bring me back home if I don't resign."

"Isn't there anything you can do? Play behind their backs or something?" I asked in a near frantic voice as all the blood drained from my face.

He hung his head and mumbled, "No, they owled Professor Flitwick, asking him to make sure I don't play or do anything related to Quidditch except go to the matches. I'm really really sorry, Harmony. I didn't think they'd find out.. I shouldn't have gone out in the first place."

I gave him a wry smile and clapped him on the shoulder, "It's ok, Harold. We'll figure something out, alright? Maybe you can help me find a new Beater? We're gonna have to talk to Madam Hooch together and explain all this first.." I trailed off, starting to drag him along with me back to her office.

Harold asked, "Can't you hold try outs again?"

I hook my head as I continued to drag him out of the Great Hall and up the stairs. Up ahead, Oliver was coming down the steps, and we made eye contact. He looked from Harold to me, and raised his eyebrow in question.

"Team business, move it along, Wood." I barked at him with a smile. I saw his lips twitch into a grin before he raised his hands in surrender and continued down the stairs.

We reached Madam Hooch's office and I knocked on the door before tapping my foot impatiently. With a sigh of frustration, I said, "She better be in there, I'm missing dinner!"

Unfortunately after knocking again and waiting about 10 minutes, no one answered the door. I groaned and told Harold, "We'll have to come back tomorrow, I suppose."

"Can't you just hold try outs again?" Harold asked for the second time.

I shook my head, "No, it's too late. I already booked the pitch for our first practice, it's tomorrow night."

Harold's face fell, looking more guilty than ever. I gave him a small smile of reassurance and said, "I'll figure something out, ok? Just be sure you come out to support us. Go on back to dinner, Harold."

He nodded and walked away with a guilty expression on his face again. "So," I yelped and turned around to see Wood leaning against the stone wall with his arms crossed. "You've managed to lose a Beater before the season's even begun? I'd say you're off to a terrible start, O'Hare. Keep this up and even Hufflepuff will beat you out of the running."

I turned so I was fully face him and glared. "Shove off, Wood. It isn't any of your concern."

"Oh, but it is my concern. I expected your team to be a challenge this year, and now this has happened. It seems I've set my expectations too high. Such a pity." Oliver berated me with a grin.

I knew he was just trying to get a rise out of me, so naturally, I took the bait. "I expected your team to be good this year too, Wood." I raised an eyebrow, "But I doubt that Potter kid will do anything other than get hurt. Have you gotten a good look at him, or are you thinking his fame will automatically get you the Quidditch Cup this year?"

Oliver let out a low whistle and said, "You doubt my ability to choose my players? That hurts, O'Hare, that really hurts."

"From what I heard, you didn't even find him. McGonagall brought him to you. Or are you having teachers help recruit players now, hmm?"

He grinned roguishly, "Well a bit of input from your Head of House is never a bad thing, is it?"

I rolled my eyes and pushed myself from the wall, not realizing I had mirrored his body language. I decided to forego dinner and sneak into the kitchens later. While turning to walk to Ravenclaw Tower, I called over my shoulder, "I suppose it's only fair then, for me to ask Flitwick for advice."

"Whatever makes you think your team has a winning chance, O'Hare! By the way, having a famous family name won't get you the cup either! So having a famous kid on my team should even the number of 'celebrities' playing this year."

With a grin, I turned around and waved, "G'night, Wood!"

"Night, O'Hare!"

**A/N: So so sorry this is late! I had, as previously stated, finals at my school. But then other things came up. Lots of stuff going on, it's been a bit hectic. My mom's boyfriend proposed (she said yes!), my older sister moved out, and my cousin's fiance came back from training. I'll try to put up the next chapter as soon as possible!**


	6. The Art of Ignoring

**A/N: Hope you all enjoy this chapter :) also, there is mild cursing in this chapter. They're teenagers after all.**

**Chapter 6: The Art of Ignoring **

I woke up the following Wednesday morning with a groan of despair, wishing last night was all just a dream. I pulled the covers over my head and refused to get up until Aravis and Emily-another girl who shared our dorm-chucked their pillows at me. I got up with a small frown, wondering, _'What is wrong with me? I'm usually not this emotional.'_ Which is true. I usually keep a cool temper and don't get phased, or at least don't let anyone see I'm phased by anything. _'I'm hanging out too much with a certain headstrong Gryffindor..'_I thought as I pulled on my robes and then put my shoes on.

Emily, Aravis and I were walking across the common room to the door, when Harold called my name. I turned around to see him running down the staircase that lead to the boys' dormitories and watched as he made his way across the common room. "Good morning, Harold. What's up?"

I asked while nodding for the girls to go down to breakfast without me.

"When are we going to see Madam Hooch?"

"Umm, I wasn't thinking until after lunch, why?"

Harold beamed and said hurriedly, "I think I can find someone to replace me by then. If you're ok with that, and if Madam Hooch is too.."

I grinned, "You're forgetting to ask the person you've got in mind if _they're_ ok with it as well."

We shared a laugh as we walked to the door and down the staircase leading out to the corridors. Getting to know Harold, realized that I would actually miss his presence on the team, even though we hadn't even had an official practice yet. He was just so easy-going, yet quick with a funny retort that had me laughing when those usually would annoy me. Sure that the others would have loved his personality and gotten on great with him as well, discussing potential replacements bothered me. I stopped just as he was about to suggest someone for the fourth time.

"Harold, let's not talk about this until we see Madam Hooch, yeah? Maybe she can help us out."

The blue-eyed boy nodded and said, "I'll see you, then. Have to go help a Hufflepuff study for McGonagall's class. She's offered to tell me where the kitchens are!"

I laughed, "Everyone in Ravenclaw knows where the kitchens are, you could've asked any one of us!"

"Oh..well then. I'd be kinda rude to not show, eh? I'll talk to you later, Harm!" Harold called over his shoulder as he set off towards the library.

I watched him go with an amused smile, then started down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Joining Aravis and Emily, I asked, "What are you guys up to?"

Emily answered, looking up with her brown eyes, "Going over notes and comparing answers on our homework. Want to join us? We could use a third set of answers."

With a shake of my head, I said, "Sorry, I uh..don't have my stuff for.." I trailed off, not knowing the 4th year schedule. I was still thinking of something to say, when Emily spoke again.

"You know, Harmony, I never noticed until now that you're not in any of our classes. You couldn't possibly have a different schedule than ours, since all the 4th year Ravenclaws have classes together.."

She continued to study me with narrowed eyes, and asked, "Is something going on with you, Harmony? You've never been like this before. You're not.." she gasped, and a look of horror passed over her face as she finished, "You're not taking remedial classes, are you?"

I felt my jaw drop a little in shock. I quickly righted myself and said, "No, Emily, I am most definitely not in remedial classes. Um, well..do you want to know the truth?"

At her frantic nod, I looked over at Aravis for assurance. She just shrugged and plucked a piece of toast from the giant stack in front of her. Turning back to Emily, I said in a hushed voice, "Ok, I'll tell you. But you can't tell anyone else, alright?"

She nodded and grinned, waiting expectantly. I looked around at our fellow Ravenclaws and saw they were all either talking, eating, studying, or all of the above. Figuring it was safe, I said in almost a whisper, "I'm taking classes with the 5th years."

At first, Emily didn't react. She sort of just sat there, staring at me in concentration. Aravis and I shared a glance, then went back to watching Emily for a reaction. She said, in a surprisingly calm voice, "Good for you, Harm. It must be so much fun, taking those classes a year early. I suppose that means you're swamped with homework and studying for the O.W.L.s then, right?"

I nodded while pouring myself a glass of orange juice. "Right now, it's sort of going a bit easy, but I know that in just a few weeks, classes will be a nightmare."

Emily asked, "What have you got today?"

"Today, I've got Charms and Astronomy with the Gryffindors, then Herbology and History of Magic with the Slytherins."

Aravis was about to say something, when the bell rang, signaling for us to go to our first class of the day.

Emily and Aravis left to go to their first class, while I went to Charms. I sat down once I entered Professor Flitwick's class and prepared for the lesson.

The lesson was one long, full hour of note taking, with little time left to practice the spells. "We'll pick up where we left of the next time we meet, and in the meantime I want you to write 3 inches on how this spell may be used practically, and I want you to practice it for an hour." With some grumbles of complaint, everyone packed their bags and filed out of the room. My next class was the same as Charms, ending with us being given even more homework than necessary.

During lunch, I was walking to an empty seat after scooping a helping of mashed potatoes onto my plate, when a Slytherin girl I recognized from one of my classes bumped into me and said with a sneer, "Watch where you're going, you wretched little sneak. Thought you had us all fooled, didn't you? What, you assumed no one would realize you weren't in our year?" She walked away with an icy glare on her face.

I stopped, my heart skipped a beat in fear. I looked around, hoping no one heard and ran to find Aravis. After looking up and down the Ravenclaw table, I found her sitting with Amanda at the Hufflepuff table. Carrying my plate over there, I sat down across from them and asked, "Aravis, do you know if Emily told anyone about our..conversation this morning?"

I began eating my potatoes and chicken while waiting for an answer. Aravis just shook her head and said, "Not that I know of, I haven't heard anything."

With a grim smile, I said, "Well one of the Slytherins I have classes with said she figured it out."

"Maybe she actually did. Who else knows but us, Emily, and your brother?"

"Wood knows, because Corin told him." I said automatically, "But I don't honk he would tell anyone."

"How do you know? You've only met him this year, and you seem to keep forgetting he's a rival Quidditch captain."

I didn't say anything for a while after taking in Aravis's good point. _'I really don't know why I'm being affected so. What happened to the Harmony that was always cool and collected? Even if that Slytherin girl figured it out, I never would have let her know that I was afraid of her. I would've merely walked away.'_

"So much has changed already, and we've only been back for a few weeks. I'm sort of scared to see how the rest of the year will play out.." I murmured.

Amanda smiled at me and replied, "Relax, Harmony. Change isn't always a bad thing, you know. Things always change for the better, if not now, then later down the road." I grinned at her words of advice and thanked her.

**...**

While we were still eating, Harold came up and sat next to me. He waved at Aravis and Amanda, then turned to me and said, "I think I found someone who's willing to be on the team in my place."

"Great! Let's go talk to Madam Hooch, then!" I beamed at him and stood up, then noticed he wasn't getting up after me. I looked at Harold's dark, messy head pointedly for a moment before saying, "C'mon Harold, we have to see Madam Hooch."

"Already done, Harm. I made a trip to her office and explained everything to her on my way here. She said I just have to bring the person willing to replace me to the practice tonight, then the four of us will talk after practice is over."

I almost knocked over our goblets as I quickly sat down and wrapped my arms around Harold in a sort of tackle/hug. I felt him wrap an arm around me while he asked, "Don't you even want to know who it is?" with a chuckle.

"Of course I do, tell me!" I nearly shouted as I pulled away, throwing a glare towards my friends, who were laughing at my reaction.

Harold grinned and said, "Morgan Garrison, one of the people who tried out for the Beater position."

"I remember her, she worked really well with Garrett. She still wanted the position?"

Harold nodded and his grin changed into a smirk, "Don't tell anyone, but she has a crush on Garrett. I guess she figured making the team would help her chances with him."

"Wow, so she trained to get that good, just to impress him?"

The blue-eyed boy shook his head, "Nah, she actually never played Quidditch before. According to Morgan, her skill showed up out of no where."

I looked across the table to Amanda and Aravis, who just shrugged in unison. Turning back to Harold, I said, "Well..bring her to practice, then. We'll see how it goes from there."

We sat and chatted about classes and teachers until the bell rang to go to class. I only had History of Magic left, since Astronomy wouldn't be until later tonight. Unfortunately, this class happened to be with the Slytherins. Which meant the girl who'd bumped me during lunch would be there, too. I put on my best blank face, and walked into Professor Binn's class, sitting down by myself. As the classroom started to fill up, I noticed the Slytherin girl walk in with her friends, and got a look at her. She was fairly pretty with black hair, brown eyes, and slightly pale skin. I would admire the girl's beauty if she weren't so rude.

Deciding to ignore her glare sent to me, I took out my text book and sat quietly in the back of the room, waiting for the lesson to begin. Luckily, I was able to manage going unnoticed by the Slytherin and her friends, mostly because I kept my head down and took notes the entire time. When the bell rang, I pretended to finish copying something down from the board while everyone rushed out. Making sure the coast was clear, I sighed and stretched in my seat, then got up to leave. I had just rounded the corner when my tormentor jumped in front of me with a sneer still stuck on her face. Holding back a yelp of surprise, I took a step backwards, away from her and her friends. They all had looks of disdain and loathing etched into each of their faces as they started to surround me. I glanced around, hoping someone would see the predicament I was in.

"Think you're such a big shot, huh? You little brat." She spat. The others egged her on and glared at me, hissing insults from all around me.

"I..I don't. I'm taking classes, just like everyone else." I stammered, trying and failing to put on a brave face.

One of the girls to my left let out a bark of laughter, "Ha! Please, _everyone_ knows you're not taking classes with the other fourth years, you big attention whore. I don't even know why you bother trying to hide it."

Too stunned to say anything, I stood there as the insults continued. I shut myself down, not reacting to their words, just staring straight ahead. I tried to walk through their circle, but to no avail. They pushed me back into the center, stepping closer to me. Feeling panic shoot through me, I struggled to keep it in check. One of the girls raised her wand and was about to utter something, when a loud, "Hey!" rang through the corridor.

Whipping my head to the left, I saw Corin and his friends striding towards us, and Corin had a look of absolute fury on his face. He pushed the girls aside and yanked me to him, shouting, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

None of the girls said anything, but started to walk away. Corin angrily said, "What the fuck is your problem, Danielle?" The black-haired girl, the one who'd started picking on me, turned around to reply, but her words were directed towards me.

"Don't think big brother Corin will be there to protect you all the time, O'Hare. Better charm a pair of eyes onto the back of your head."

I didn't say anything when Corin asked if I was alright after letting me go, just nodded quietly. Looking to his group of friends, I saw they all looked furious. Among the Gryffindor boys was none other than Oliver Wood, and between him and Corin, I couldn't tell who looked more angry. One of the boys, Irwin Gastorn, looked at me and asked, "You sure you're ok, mini O'Hare?" Some of them smiled lightly at his attempt to lighten the mood.

Finally breaking my silence, I nodded and said, "Yeah. Thanks, Irwin, and Corin. And really, all of you guys."

I tried to smile at them, but was overcome by a wave of emotions ranging from fear to anger and all of a sudden I felt the ridiculous urge to cry. Irwin wrapped a lanky arm around my shoulders and squeezed, saying, "No need to thank us, you little bugger. You're like a little sister or something. Yeah," he grinned, "the sister I never wanted."

That managed to get a small laugh out of me, and soon the other boys, David, Christopher, and Thaniel were all chuckling and giving me what they thought were gentle hugs and pats on the back. Even Oliver put his arm around my shoulder and gave it a squeeze, which was a comfort, until I remembered that my team's first practice was tonight. I thanked all of them and turned to leave for Ravenclaw Tower, when Corin pulled me aside and asked, "If you need anything, you know how to reach me. Or any of the others, for that matter. I'm not going to let these girls do anything to harm you, got it?"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as I said, "I'll be fine Corin, I don't need anyone protecting me."

He snorted in disbelief and replied, "The hell you don't."

"Corin, you can't always be there for me, you know. You've got your own life to deal with without me getting in the way."

I watched as his face slowly changed from angry to pensive. He snapped his fingers and said, "True, but I'm sure the boys are willing to help out!" I looked on in horror as Corin turned around and asked his friends if they'd be willing to walk me from class to class just in case Danielle and her gang tried anything.

All of them nodded, and Wood said, "I've got..what, three classes with you, Harmony? I can certainly keep an eye on her those days, mate."

Corin grinned triumphantly and said, "All settled. Give me a copy of your schedule tomorrow and I'll tell everyone where to meet you. Alright, Harmony?"

With a groan I said, "No, not alright. I don't need a babysitter, Corin! Let alone a whole gang of them!" I looked at my brother's friends and added, "Sorry, no offense to you guys."

Thaniel laughed and said in his deep voice, "None taken, baby sister."

"Oh, please don't tell me you're all going to start calling me that now.."

While the others laughed, Oliver grinned and spoke up, "Don't count on me calling you that. I'm sticking to O'Hare, thank you very much."

I sent him a grateful smile as Corin rubbed my hair and then sent me off to class.

**A/N: I'm really very sorry this took so long. March is the dreaded month where there's no breaks and tons of projects to do for school. For some reason, I seem to be extraordinarily busy during this month. Anyways, I hope this makes up for the waiting you guys have done. Thank you!**


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